ESPN

Gordon Edes

  (1:03 PM)

Hey, everybody, thanks for stopping by. I hope you are checking out all the great stuff my boy Chris Forsberg and the ESPNBoston team and the national crew are assembling on the Celts. I picked my all-time Celtics team: DJ, Sam Jones, Bird, McHale, Russell. I know, it's killing me to leave Havlicek off the team.....but anyway, we're talking baseball here--mostly--and on with the questions

Gordon Edes

  (1:03 PM)

And it happens every time when I'm staying in a hotel. Just as my chat is about to begin, they make you re-up for internet connection...But that's done, so let 'er rip

Gordon Edes (ESPN Boston Headquarters)

Hey me, there's been some talk of Ellsbury milking his injury or not coming back from it as fast as humanly possible (he is Scott Boras' agent). Any truth to these rumors?

Gordon Edes

  (1:06 PM)

I think those rumors are ridiculous. You're talking about a player who runs into walls, dives for balls, steals 70 bags a year which requires constant sliding and diving back into bags, and we're asking if he's milking an injury? It's absurd. Is Jacoby possibly cautious about not wanting to hurt his ribs further? Of course. Isn't that understandable?

Tony (New Haven)

In your estimation, who is the most average player in the major leagues?

Gordon Edes

  (1:08 PM)

Tony, that's a funky question, but an interesting one. I don't know, one of the first guys that came to mind was Alex Cora, although he is below-average offensively, above-average defensively...does that even out? How about somebody like Nick Punto of the Twins? This would be a good conversation-starter.

Chris Fiegler (Latham,NY)

Will the Boston Red Sox First Round Pick of the 2010 MLB Draft will heading to Lowell?

Gordon Edes

  (1:11 PM)

Chris, Assuming he signs reasonably quickly, which seems to be the case, I would expect that Kolbrin Vitek would be headed to Lowell. Most college players drafted start there, and Vitek starred at Ball State

Scott Carrier (Shelby Township, MI)

This is a grass roots campaign to give Ken Griffey Jr. his properfarewell. If you are at all nostalgic like me i ask you to join andinvite all of your friends:http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=132375283445862

Gordon Edes

  (1:12 PM)

Scott, Happy to give you some props. I fully expect the Mariners will honor Griffey in the fashion that he deserves, but a grass-roots campaign can't hurt. He was easily one of my all time favorite players to watch, and he held court memorably at a couple of All-Star games

Steve (Rochester)

Hey Gordon, Is Pedroia hurt? Why is he struggling so much at the plate this season?

Gordon Edes

  (1:15 PM)

Steve, I don't think Dustin is hurt; his defense certainly doesn't suggest that he's hurting. He's been hitting better lately after going through one of those extended funks most hitters go through at some point in a season. Do you think Teixeira is hurt, and his slump is going on two months? I do think Dustin is seeing a lot more off-speed stuff, but he'll make the necessary adjustments.

Andy (Hartford)

Hi Gordon. Wondering if you think Miguel Cabrera has a decent shot at winning a tripple crown this year? Which category do you think will present the greatest challenge for him?

Gordon Edes

  (1:18 PM)

Andy, he's the kind of player who certainly has the skill set to challenge for a Triple Crown, and is well-positioned to challenge this season. After the horrible way last season ended, he certainly appears motivated...I think the toughest thing will be to win the BA title, though RBIS are a stat where he's dependent on his teammates to keep getting on base in front of him.

Sean (Boston, Tx)

In your opinion... Who and where does Theo look to patch up a that swiss cheese bullpen?

Gordon Edes

  (1:20 PM)

Sean, I agree that the Sox will look to bolster the pen, but there may be real help as close as Pawtucket. Felix Doubront has a 1.08 ERA in 4 starts and is K'ing hitters at the rate of a batter an inning. He could certainly be a lefty option if the Sox choose to go that route. There also are so many bad teams this season, I could see a lot of teams dumoing relief arms. But I think that will be a priority come the tradingd eadline.

Johnny (San Diego, CA)

If the mariners don't start winning in july do you think they will trade ichiro?

Gordon Edes

  (1:20 PM)

NBo, Ichiro isn't going anywhere. That would cause an earthquake in the Northwest and Japan.

Mike (Albany)

Who do you see as the next manager to be fired?

Gordon Edes

  (1:22 PM)

I'd have to think Kenny Macha is ducking a lot of bullets in Milwaukee....off the top of my head, he's in trouble. But I also wonder how much longer the Kenny Williams-Ozzie Guillen honeymoon lasts in Chicago.

Adam (Albuquerque, NM)

Hey Gordon, after last night's stellar performance by Daisuke, which version of him do you see starting when the crunch begins and the games really start to matter post-All Star break? While it's obvious he seems to suffer from A.J. Burnett-itis with his inconsistent starts, it's hard to overlook him when he's capable of being nearly unhittable as he demonstrated against the Phillies. Which one will we get when it matters most?

Gordon Edes

  (1:26 PM)

Adam, I understand your point, but these games count, too! I don't know how many conclusions we can draw from his start against the woeful Indians, but it's encouraging that he did as well as he did with Victor Martinez behind the plate, and he really seems to be embracing the idea of attacking the K-zone instead of nibbling endlessly. Success tends to beget confidence and if Daisuke can trust his stuff--and his defense--more, I think he'll be effective

Liam (MD)

How far away from the show are Casey Kelley and Jose Iglesias and do you think they will make and immediate impact when theyre brought up

Gordon Edes

  (1:28 PM)

I think with Angel Sanchez in Pawtucket, the Sox have their emergency shortstop in place if something happens to Scutaro, so they may be content to let Iglesias develop in Portland. as much as I love the way the guy plays, I have to remind myself this is his first experience in pro ball. Kelly has struggled some, so I would think it is less of a sure thing that he gets a late-summer callup, either. I wouldn't count on it. Both guys should be in Triple-A next year, unless Sox decide Kelly could use more time in Portland

brodie (miami) [via mobile]

fredi gonzalez will be the next to go. we know loria thinks they should be in the playoffs and we saw him fire torborg in 03 when he wasnt happy. bring back jack!

Gordon Edes

  (1:31 PM)

Brodie, I was in Miami last season when they left Fredi hanging ridiculously before announcing he'd be back. You're right; his security is always in question, especially after the run-in with Hanley eafrlier this season. But that division remains there for the taking, and maybe Mike Stanton gives them a big boost.

Jay (NYC)

Do you think Paps will get traded and the Sawx putting Brad in the closer role after 2010?

Gordon Edes

  (1:32 PM)

Yes, I think that's a very plausible scenario. Papelbon will be making eight figures, and Bard's time is coming.

Matt (California)

Is there anyone out there looking at Lowell? Doesn't the team need to get him some AB's to show he can still hit?

Gordon Edes

  (1:34 PM)

Matt, i do think this is coming to a head, and Mike will get a release/be traded. He's not going to get the ABs here.

Brad (NM)

Hey Gordon, I'm an avid Yankees hater so I will be punching myself in the face later for asking this, but don't we need to consider Pettite for front runner of Cy Young in the AL at this point? He's been ridiculously good this year, agreed?

Gordon Edes

  (1:38 PM)

Brad, I hate to see a guy hurt himself needlessly, so relax, you don't have to be conceding the trophy to Pettitte just yet, and with his elbow history I have a hard time keeping this up the entire year. There are plenty of other guys very much in the mix, including TB's David Price, Seattle's Cliff Lee and Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz of the home team. Right now, in fact, I think Price would be the leader

Alex (Memphis)

I haven't heard anything about Lowrie lately. What do you know?

Gordon Edes

  (1:39 PM)

Alex, havenb't heard anything about Jed in awhile. This has really become a lost season for him---another one. All we hear is that he has good days and bad days and hasn't been able to sustain his strength

Gordon Edes

  (1:41 PM)

Shoot, if Beltre hits .375, the Red Sox will be happy to see his $10m player option kick in--he'd be a bargain at that price! No, they're not worried about the PA clause in his contract, not when he's playing this well

Andrew (Miami)

who has the better day: Strasburg or Stanton

Gordon Edes

  (1:42 PM)

Great question, Andrew. It's going to be so insane in D.C., I'll take Stanton against the Phils and Kendrick

Adam (Albuquerque, NM)

Gordon, while it seems the Sox pitching woes have finally worked themselves out to be the defensive advantage everyone predicted they would, Tim Wakefield seems to have lost a step as of late when he was given the starting nod due to Beckett's injury. How much does he realistically have left in the tank at this point? Can he still deliver some quality starts to keep the Sox' momentum going while Beckett rehabs? Will he be done after this year?

Gordon Edes

  (1:44 PM)

Adam, I think the Sox are wondering how much he has left, too. We all know how streaky he can be, but we also know he's closing in on 44 and hasn't been able to finish the last couple of seasons. That's another reason why Doubront's development is important

Adam (Boston)

Gordon, is there any possibility that Victor Martinez would sign an extension with the Red Sox as a primary DH (and back up catcher/ interleague fill in)? His salary would be comparable to what the Sox are paying Ortiz now and he can hit from both sides of the plate.Thanks

Gordon Edes

  (1:47 PM)

Adam, I don't think the Sox would make that kid of commitment envisioning Victor as just a DH. They would re-sign him only if they thought he would play 1b (unlikely) or catch. I think he also figures he'll have more value as a catcher on the open market.

Gordon Edes

  (1:49 PM)

Hey thanks everyone for taking part. I'm getting ready to head over to the ballpark. We'll be chatting again next week, and pick your all-time Celts and Laker teams!